CHARLOTTE — For the first time in his NFL career, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young doesn't have to learn a whole new system this offseason.

That gives him the opportunity to learn all kinds of new things.

Both Young and Dave Canales talked on Tuesday about the little things they can do to tweak what was a successful offense in the second half of last season as they build on it with a consistent set of personnel.

They brought most of the offense back as it was when Young was dealing in December, including the entire offensive line, running back Chuba Hubbard, receivers Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, and tight ends Ja'Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble. Then they added parts, including first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and veteran running back Rico Dowdle, allowing them a chance to build on and develop what they were already doing at a reasonably high level.

"It's subtle changes," Canales said after the first OTA practice when asked what was different about the offense this year. "I think we have a great foundation of things. That was the first year, which was to get the core established, to get the words and all those things in place. And then just some adjustments based on our skill. The skill position players, the runners, the receivers, JT.

"And then, just kind of becoming us and honing in on some of the things we saw in the self-scout, like these are concepts we feel really confident with that we run really well. We have the adjustments off of it, so now it's about just adding little tools, things that Bryce can do at the line of scrimmage, things that he can tweak and change based on what the defense is doing."

Of course, building off what Young can do is the biggest first step in that process, as he was a very different quarterback at the end of last year than at the beginning.

He had 10 touchdowns (rushing and passing) in the final three weeks of the season and no interceptions. Since taking over again as a starter in Week 8, he had 26 of what Pro Football Focus defines as "big-time throws," tied for most in the league over that span with Cincinnati's Joe Burrow. And most importantly, he led the team on game-winning or game-tying drives six times in the final nine weeks.

And while it was just one day, you could already see them building on Tuesday, adding concepts on a rainy practice field that weren't seen last year. Young said he saw the same phenomenon when he watched Seattle tape from Canales' days there, and he's excited about continuing to add.

"I think it's just being able to build off of the foundation we laid last year," Young said. "Around this time last year, obviously it's a new system, new offense, so, we're getting the basics, we're ironing out the day one first stuff, and just the the the basics of the offense. And now, me too, we get to start so much further ahead, a lot of returning guys, a lot of familiar faces, and also that's a lot of kudos to the guys coming in, the free agents, the rookies that are coming in. Let's start at a master's level, let's make sure that we're more advanced and for them, this is their first time in the system, and you wouldn't be able to tell by a lot of the guys. That speaks to their hard work, and it's exciting to see us start a lot more ahead this year.

"I think that within the system, there's so many wrinkles and so many little things that build off of each other that the coaching staff has done a great job and has had a lot of success throughout the years. Obviously, in Seattle, they had a ton of time together, and you could kind of see a lot of stuff for Year 2, Year 3, or 4. And there's a lot of stuff that we're able to talk about and mention last year that you know was all right. I don't know if we're there, and for us, it's exciting for us to be able to now have an opportunity to grow towards that and start a lot further so that we can reach all those little wrinkles. So there's definitely a lot of stuff that we're excited about."

And that excitement is tangible and easy to see.

Canales said the energy Legette and McMillan are adding to things is clear (things as simple as their laughter and flinging passes back across the field to each other after receptions in individual drills), and Young himself is also building on his own momentum.

"I feel like he's still carrying that flame," Legette said. "That flame from throughout the middle of the season to the end last year."

Of course, it's easier to build when you're not forced to learn a new playbook, and Young talked about the "banked reps" that will allow them to take new steps this year, along with the confidence of a staff that's committing to building around him.

"It's been great again just being able to start at a higher level now," Young said. "Focus on growth rather than learning. Focus on knowing what's expected, knowing exactly the things that you know you've done well and you have to continue to do well, things to improve on. ...

"As I've felt more and more comfortable throughout last year and then now going into Year 2 in the system, and then we continue to build our relationship and grow and have more of those shared thoughts within the entire offensive staff. It's definitely something that I'm grateful for. We all have that same goal; for us, we just want to win, offensively want to score points, and then as a team, we want to do whatever it takes to win."